Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Secretary of State John Kerry that the South China Sea belongs to his country and they have every right to defend their territory, despite a lack of evidence China ever legally controlled the territory it claims in the region.

“The islands in the South China Sea have been China’s territory since ancient times, and China has the right to safeguard its territorial sovereignty,” he stated at a press conference with Kerry. “At the same time, we insist that the issue should be solved peacefully through dialogue and consultations.”

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) recently found evidence that the Chinese are building “a radar system on Cuateron Reef in the Spratlys, one of many locations where China has constructed artificial land on reefs that are widely considered to be in international waters.” Experts believe this construction will hinder the U.S.’s ability to operate in the sea.

“This would be very important in a Chinese anti-access area denial strategy that sought to reduce the ability of the U.S. to operate freely in the South China Sea, including bringing forces up through the South China Sea in case of any future crisis in Northeast Asia,” Gregory Polling, head of the Asian Maritime Transparency Initiative at CSIS, told The Washington Post.

Read more: http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2016/02/24/chinese-foreign-minister-tells-kerry-south-china-sea-ours-since-ancient-times/